The breakers yard in the sky – well not quite all

Reading Clouds post on consumerism-5-burning up, got me thinking about all my past motors, each one with a happy memory of some sort, so here goes:

1965 MGB Roadster

Tonys’ MGB the motor he had when we met, we had some great times in that! The roof had a big split in it, so was basically useless. We eventually got rid of the roof altogether, so had to wrap up well in the winter.

We had to get rid in 1974 when Shell was 6 months old, not really a family car. I was sad to see it go, it was like my freedom had ended. I’d have another one tomorrow if I could.

We bought a Vauxhall 101 to replace it with for £50, sorry no photos of that, but it lasted until well after Deb was born in 1976.

1967 Austin 1100

This was followed by another of my favourite motors, an Austin 1100 in colour El Paso Beige 🙂 This is the only photo I can find of it. 10 years old it cost us £200. A lovely motor to drive, but we had no end of problems with it. Several times on journeys up to Yorkshire the fuel pump packed up, we had to unload all the luggage, tap the pump with a hammer, and all would be well for another few months. On one journey down the motorway, in torrential rain, Shell announced that the cat litter tray that was in the rear footwell was floating, ‘don’t be daft I told her’, turning to look…….. OMG it was!!!, we bailed out the water with margarine tubs my mum had put some sandwiches in ‘for the way’. The final straw with this motor was when puling up at a roundabout, the bonnet suddenly dropped out of sight, both track rod ends had snapped, leaving the front wheels at a 45 degree angle. It had to go!!

1971 Morris Marina 1.8

This was the next on the scene, a Morris Marina 1.8 in Beduin Beige, did it shift!, but it was totally useless in the snow, every winter we’d load the boot with 2 3’x4′ paving slabs. The bump on the wing wasn’t ours, we bought it like that for a cost of £450 in 1979.

1978 Vauxhall Cavalier Mk1 1.3

Moving up in the world now, this Vauxhall Cavalier was just over 3 years old when we bought it in 1981. £1800, a fortune to us, but my dad lent us the money, I think he got fed up seeing us in rust buckets. We went to France 4 years running in it, and it never let us down. The girls still remind me that the only cassettes we had in there were Dire Straits, and they learn’t the words to all the songs that way. One year, when arriving in France, I couldn’t find the keys to drive it off the ferry, we held up the whole ferry, while I was red faced and in a state of hysteria. After running back up to check the cabin, I eventually I found them in my bag, where they’d been all the time. Another incident, with keys again, was when Deb had put them on the boot floor, and shut the boot, we thought we’d get in from behind the rear seat, but NO, the fuel tank was there, in the next tent was a policeman on holiday with his family, ‘don’t worry, I’m used to having to get into locked cars’ After a hour of trying, he admitted defeat, and we called out a breakdown company, who had to chisel the lock out.

1984 Vauxhall Cavalier Mk2 1.3

Even further up in the world now, 1986 and Vauxhall Cavalier number two arrived, not quite 3 years old and the newest motor I’ve ever had. This also took us on many camping holidays to France. On one holiday we’d popped into the local Super U supermarket for provisions, leaving the girls sat in the back, suddenly while walking round the aisles, Shell appeared ‘A lorry has reversed into the car’ she announced, ‘where’s Deb, is it damaged’ I asked. ‘Debs OK, she on the floor in the car, the lorry pushed the car backwards and we both ended up on the floor’ Panicking I ran out thinking I’d find a smashed motor, the only damage I could find was a slightly crooked bumper. From that day on it was known fondly as ‘The Tank’.

This is the one that I had stolen, but got back the same day with a smashed steering column, it never felt the same after that day, and we sold it soon after.

1991 Peugeot 205 1.1

This was the 1st motor that was mine all mine, 5 year old little Percy Peugeot. I was driving a 205 van for work and loved it, so decided I wanted one of my own, T had got his own car by now a 1991 Rover 214, we had become a 2 car family.

I kept Percy until 2000, I’d adopted Harry my dog in 1999, and it wasn’t really big enough for him, I worried that in an accident, H wouldn’t survive, so Percy had to go, I sold him to my neighbours daughter, so for the next few years Percy still lived in the close.

I’d always wanted a Discovery, so my excuse to get one was Harry, a nice solid motor, with plenty of space for a big dog to relax in.

1994 Land Rover Discovery 300Tdi

My dad had a Land Rover briefly when I was young, and I was fascinated by the fact it went anywhere in the snow, but Poppy the Disco was the start of my true love affair with Land Rovers, Poppy was my pride & joy, the only downside was it was a 3 door. I joined the Discovery Owners Club, and met some wonderful folk.

1979 Land Rover series III

The Landy bug bit hard, I wanted a ‘proper one’, so when I heard of a Series III up for sale I was there like a shot, my Landy collection was growing with the arrival of Mr Plod, so named because of his reg plate letter DSL (Detective Sergeant Landy). Here he is with Harry at Gaydon, one of the big Landy shows in UK, a landy lovers heaven.

1998 Land Rover Discovery 300 Tdi

I was getting increasingly annoyed at the fact Poppy only had 3 doors, so she was sold on to another enthusiast. This is my current motor, Dougal Disco, a 5 door Discovery 300 Tdi, that I bought in 2006, again taken at Gaydon, where he was ‘showing off” at Land Rovers 60th anniversary.

For a short while, after I’d bought Dougal, but before Poppy was sold, there were 3 Landies parked outside. sadly, with tax insurance etc. on two motors, Mr Plod had to go too, he was a great fun vehicle and I loved driving him. He went to live with someone from the Discovery Owners Club, where he is still been nurtured, and I still see him occasionally.

Post navigation

6 thoughts on “The breakers yard in the sky – well not quite all”

Great post. Must show them to A when he comes in from work, he will no doubt play car spotting rather than reading the captions 🙂 Do you think you could put a slideshow in at the end – I think they would look really good on one? Please?